Saturday, March 21, 2009

The first outfit is not my favourite by a long stretch -- I don't really care for animal prints or too much khaki, so this combination is not something I'd go for -- though the obi belt look would be great in a different print.

However! Please note that she's wearing Christian Louboutin shoes, a very famous brand known for its trademark red soles:

The second is an un-characteristically busy floral patterned dress, worn with some fabulous black heels.

It reminds me a bit of an Easter dress, actually.

The third outfit is the most edgy and the one I'm most likely to reproduce -- a leather pencil skirt with a piratical flouncy blouse:

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Here is the second part of the series on DeWitt's costumes in Dollhouse. In this episode, we see four different outfits, two of which occur in a flashback. The flashback is filmed with a bright haze, so the screenshots didn't come out as well.

The first outfit: a jewel-tone jersey dress with a cross-over bodice, worn with pulled-back hair and another small gold necklace:

A full-length view -- note the gathering at the bustline like the burgundy dress from the first episode:

I like this dress a lot, but if I were to re-create it, I would make the neckline a teensy bit higher (more work appropriate) and length the sleeves to wrist-length. I don't do well with 3/4 length sleeves.

The second outfit is a dress with a cross-over top. I didn't get any screenshots of the full length, but it's a simple shape:

The third is from the flashback. It's a dark navy pencil skirt worn with ANOTHER cross-over top, also sleeveless, but in a brighter blue. Were I to re-create this look, I would probably choose either the exact same colour for the top and skirt or two strongly contrasting colours. The almost-the-same colour combination does not appeal to me.

Here is a full-length view:

A close-up for the bodice:

And an even-closer-up view of the necklace, which I love:

The fourth outfit is much less vibrant than the others, but still very classy.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

This is the first post in a series on Ms. DeWitt's costuming in the show Dollhouse.

Here is the first glimpse we get of Ms. DeWitt. The full-length shots were not so great, but she is wearing a matching pencil skirt. I don't usually like the skirt-and-blazer suit look, but it works with her more casual shirt. Also note the small gold necklace, an accessory style that she keeps wearing.

And here we have the second outfit from the episode -- the standard pencil skirt with blouse. I can't say I'm crazy about the print on the blouse, but I do think I need to sew a black pencil skirt for my work wardrobe. Also note the basic black heel, which she wears frequently.

Her third outfit from the episode is my favourite -- a burgundy jersey dress. The draping at the front is excellent.

And here is a better shot of the front draping (and another small gold necklace):

Since I am a big fan of Joss Whedon, I have started watching his new series Dollhouse. It's been fantastic so far not only for the great action sequence and suspense, but also for the discovery of a new source of clothing ideas.

Ms. DeWitt, played with steely British decorum by Olivia Williams, works as the boss of the illegal organization "Dollhouse." I will be examining her wardrobe episode by episode over the next few days. Four episodes have already aired, but I will contine to document her clothes after each episode.

Her style is highly consistent and fits into the classy, slightly retro mold that I'm aiming for. It's not as intense as the women in Mad Men, but has a similar air. She has yet to wear pants; she favours pencils skirts with wide waistbands that come above the natural waistline; she always wears hose and fantastic heels; and she wears small and delicate gold necklaces. When not wearing a blouse and pencil skirt combination, she wears beautifully styled jersey dresses.

Besides her clothing, I adore her hair -- dark brown, a bit past shoulder length, in loose waves. She wears it down, in a low ponytail, or piled at the back of her head.

While I wouldn't wear everything she's sported so far (no thanks to anything animal print, even in small doses), I'm exciting about getting ideas for new basics from her wardrobe. I believe she's worn the same khaki pencil skirt in two different episodes, which makes her character seem more real to me (since the average human cannot wear a completely difference outfit every day to the office).

Starting with episode 1, I'll be sharing screenshots and analysis. For those of you also following the show, no need to worry about spoilers -- I am anti-spoiler sharing and will not be discussing plot details.